The Las Vegas Raiders shore up the offensive line with record-setting center Tyler Linderbaum, instantly upgrading protection and igniting the run game for their future.
It's safe to say that the Las Vegas Raiders have been very busy in free agency.
When the NFL's legal tampering period began on Monday, the Raiders wasted no time agreeing to deals with a flurry of players. All of the agreements from Day One can be found here, and it includes Nakobe Dean, Quay Walker, Kity Paye and, perhaps the biggest of all, former Baltimore Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum.
The Raiders also traded quarterback Geno Smith to the New York Jets for a pick swap, and, as everybody knows by now, Maxx Crosby returned to Las Vegas after the Ravens surprisingly backed out of the trade terms in one of the more stunning twists in recent memory.
Linderbaum was far and away the top center on the market, and he was one of the best players in general. The Raiders are giving him a whopping three-year deal worth $81 million and with $60 million guaranteed, making him the highest-paid center and interior lineman in history.
As a result, the Raiders and Linderbaum were named a perfect fit by James Reber, who is a Next Gen Stats Research Analyst for NFL.com.
Last season, the Raiders' centers allowed the most sacks in the NFL, and with new head coach Klint Kubiak in town, the Raiders filled that gap in a massive way.
"Linderbaum has allowed 10 sacks in his entire four-year career while giving up a quick pressure on just 0.6% of pass blocks in 2025, the fourth-lowest mark at the position," Reber wrote.
The offensive line as a whole was a disaster for Las Vegas in 2025, and just bringing in Linderbaum alone is already a gigantic upgrade.
With Fernando Mendoza almost certainly going to be the No. 1 pick by the Raiders in the 2026 NFL Draft, protecting their franchise quarterback is a priority, and bringing in Linderbaum is a huge step in that direction.
And, moreover, he also will help the run game and allow 2025 first-round pick Ashton Jeanty more room to run.
"In addition to anchoring the blocking for presumptive No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza, the star center could help unlock Jeanty. During Linderbaum's time in Baltimore, Ravens RBs averaged 4.6 yards per inside run, the fourth-best mark in the NFL during that span," Reber added.
After the news of Crosby's trade not taking place, questions remained about whether or not the Raiders would honor the previous free agent agreements, but they plan to do just that.
And, on Thursday, they made it official with Linderbaum.
In the coming months and years, this could be a signing that is labeled as a massive grand slam for the Raiders.